The level of public support for St Francis nursing home was further illustrated this week with the announcement that the campaign has collected more than 16,000 signatures. The Keep St Francis Nursing Home Open Campaign also has the support of all five local TDs and Senator O’Clochartaigh who attended a public meeting at the Westwood Hotel to try and secure the future of the Upper Newcastle facility.
Since last year’s announcement that St Francis will close as a residential facility and operate as a daycare centre, public representatives and concerned citizens have been striving to ensure it continues to house patients. The fact the HSE spends more than three times the estimated cost of St Francis’ refurbishment on the rent of a building on Seamus Quirke Road has drawn particular ire.
Cllr Catherine Connolly has been a vociferous opponent of the residential home’s closure and commented: “In a week where it has been confirmed by the HSE West that no applicant in Galway city or county has been assessed under the Fair Deal System since last June and where currently 67 people in the city and county are waiting for a nursing home bed, it is utter madness to close a wonderful public nursing home because of lack of staff due to the current embargo. The committee behind the campaign is now waiting for confirmation from the local TDs in relation to a meeting with the Minister for Health.”
The Keep St Francis Nursing Home Open Campaign continues on Shop Street on Saturday and outside UHG and the city’s shopping centres all week.
